A lower court has ordered a restaurant to pay 10,000 shekels ($2,400) to a family for allowing patrons to violate a no-smoking law. The court accepted the plaintiff's arguments that the restaurant staff refused to ask the smokers to put out their cigarettes, which they were puffing in a designated no-smoking area.
It was the highest fine that courts have determined. A similar case several weeks ago resulted in a 1,000 shekel ($240) fine on a different restaurant.
A third suit to be heard in court claims payment of seven million shekels ($1.6 million).